Memories
by xPaige Turnerx
Summary: AU. A/B Es/C Em/R E/Br J/K. 'She was the first person I ever Changed. Long before even Edward.'


**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or anything familiar. Duh.**

**Rated: T.**

**Author: Paige Turner.**

**Summary: Au. A/B Es/C Em/R E/Br J/K. 'She was the first person I ever Changed. Long before even Edward.'**

Forks, Washington. The Cullen Mansion.

The mansion was unusually quiet that evening. Most days, as of late, people would still be bustling about, what with just the sheer amount of them. Covens from all over the world had answered Carlisle's call and come to the aid of the Cullens; The Denalis, The Amazons, The Egyptians, The Irish, the Romanians, along with the American and European nomads. All of those vampires plus all the wolves hanging about since Renesmee's birth, were quite the sight to behold. Luckily for them, the Cullen's mansion was far from town and hidden within the woods.

Tonight, though, everyone seemed to be taking a break from all the stress and worry over the soon to be arrival of the Volturi. The 'Battle Plans', as the Romanians had insisted calling them, were put on hold for the night so that everyone could take a breather. Most of the covens, all humans drinkers, had left the area to hunt while a few stayed, up in the rooms the Cullens had provided for them, or were out and about in the woods. The Cullens themselves all seemed to be gathered in the silent living room, altogether as a family for the first time in two weeks.

Edward sighed into the silent room, running his pale hand through bronze locks, gathering them from his face and out of his eyes. He glanced down at his daughter, Renesmee, who was seated in Bree's lap, his newly wed wife. Her brown eyes shawn with happiness as she gazed up at her father and he couldn't help but smile. "I'm surprised you're still up, love." He said quietly, looking up into Bree's eyes. She shrugged her shoulders, smiling softly.

"I'm not tired yet." Renesmee replied, glancing around at her family. "You guys all look like you are, though." She chirped, taking in the dark circles under all their dark, almost amber, eyes. It was the first time she had ever seen them like that, looking so… well, tired. "I thought you couldn't get tired."

"Not physically, squirt." Emmett boomed, offering a goofy grin. "But mentally, we're all pooped."

Renesmee bit her lip, looking across the room to her grandfather sitting on one of the love seats next to Esme. "Too tired to tell me a story?"

Carlisle smiled brightly, patting his knee. He watched as the little brunette twirled across the room and jumped up onto his lap, carrying a book in her hands. "I'm never too tired to tell you a story." He replied with a chuckle, glancing down at the book in her hands. He paused, his brows furrowing as he studied the old, leather-bound book. It's pages were discoloured, no longer the crisp white they were when he first got it, the ink words faded and mushed in some places, the cover worn and torn somewhat. He could feel everyone's eyes on him and looked up into Edward's flabbergasted face. "Where did you get this, Renesmee?" He asked curiously, knowing that it wouldn't have been easy for her to find. He kept it away in an old chest with other things from his human life, and the beginning of his vampiric one.

She glanced back at her father and back up to Carlisle, taking in their different reactions. She couldn't figure out why her father looked so shocked, and couldn't place the look on Carlisle's face. _Wistful_, she thought. "I got it from your study earlier. I was looking for another book to read and knocked over the small table. It landed on your chest and broke the lock." She said, placing her warm little hand on his cheek to show him her actions from earlier that day. "What's this story about?" She asked curiously, looking back down at the book.

"Yeah, what's got Eddie's panties in a twist?" Emmett asked, ignoring the glare Edward gave him. "What's so important about some book?"

Carlisle chuckled, glancing at the giant lounging on the couch. "It's not just _some book_. This journal of mine is older than you are, son."

Rosalie's eyebrow rose curiously, a small smirk playing on her lips as she glanced over to her brother. "A journal? Of events and thoughts that _Edward_ didn't know about? How did you manage to hide it from him?"

"I haven't thought about her in nearly a century." Carlisle replied. Alice's jaw dropped along with Bree's, both of them looking over to Esme who spluttered. Carlisle's eyes widened. "No! No, no. Not like that. This is a journal about my time with Bella. And not in a romantic sense; she was more like a sister." He said, holding Esme's hand. "She was the first person I ever Changed. Long before even Edward." He replied, his eyes losing focus as he thought back to a time long since passed. "My one and only slip up, back when I, myself, was first Changed and had no control. Frankly, the girl is lucky I managed to stop myself from killing her. A miracle, really."

There was a short pause before Jasper cleared his throat and his southern drawl filled the quiet room. "Well? You can't just stop there; how did it happen? Who was she? Where is she now?" He asked, nodding to the journal in Carlisle's hands, his blonde locks bouncing. "Read us-_Renesmee_ the rest of it."

Alice rolled her eyes, smiling softly at her brother as she curled up into his side and set her feet on Emmett's lap. "I find myself feeling up to a story as well, Carlisle. Would you mind terribly?"

Carlisle glanced around at his family, watching as they all settled and relaxed more in their spots around the room. Hunkering down for a tale. Carlisle didn't mind, not at all. In fact, he thought it was about time he told them of Bella. Especially Alice; yes, there would be much to discuss with her afterwards.

Running a hand through his blonde locks, Carlisle settled back on the love seat next to Esme, letting Renesmee curl up between the two of them. He ran his hand over the cover of the journal, his fingers feeling all the grooves of the leather. "Where to begin? It was sixteen forty, I believe, back in London England, and I was leading a group of men to a nest of vampires we had discovered the previous night. Luck was not on my side that night, it seemed, as I got separated from the group when one of the vampires grabbed me…"

_London, England. 1640_

_Endless pits of black glared down at the young, blonde man. Desperation could be seen in the clearly, desperation and hunger, making the onyx pools look frantic and wild. That was what this… this _thing_ was though; a wild, horrendous beast. And now Carlisle was in its clutches, with no one around to help him._

_He watched, in a numb cloud, as the pale monster crouched down low and let out a feral snarl before leaping at him_-

"We've heard that part before." Emmett whined. "You hid in the potato sacks during your transformation for those three days and then booked it off away from civilization. That's when you tried killing yourself a bunch of times and starved yourself until you snapped and fed on an animal."

Bree grabbed a couch pillow, hurling it at Emmett who huffed playfully at her. "Let him tell it how he wants to, you big lug. It's not your story."

"I want to get to the good stuff already!" He pouted, looking and acting very much like Renesmee's younger brother.

Jasper chuckled from his spot, crossing his arms over his chest. "Patience is a virtue, Em."

"Can we get back to the story already?" Rosalie snapped.

With a chuckle and exchange of a look with Esme, Carlisle nodded his head. "Alright; I was Changed, I ran off, and then fed from animals." He cleared his throat. "I over-estimated the control I had over my thirst about four years later when I finally re-entered the city, looking for some work. I had no money, no home, no place to stay, but I refused to squat in the sewers and live like a troll as all the others did. If I could retain my humanity, then I was going to stay a person and be Carlisle the doctor like my mother had wanted for me, vampire or not. Unfortunately, that was the evening I met Isabella, or Bella as she preferred to be called…"

_London, 1644_

_Carlisle glanced up at the grey sky, taking a deep breath through his nose. He could smell the rain, though it was still a few miles away and only slowly approaching. Still, he would have to by an umbrella anyways. He hesitated in the back alley, looking down at himself once more, and grimaced. His clothes were worn, though not ripped this time at least, and stained with grass and dirt. His hair was a mess, pieces hanging down in his golden eyes, and he ran his pale hands through it, slicking it back as best he could. He straightened his coat for the fifth time and stepped out of the alley and into the busy street. Lanterns lit the sidewalks, bathing people in their glow, illuminating random faces as he strolled down the sidewalk._

_People would turn to stare, some of them pointing and others whispering. Not about his clothes, though, or the dirt, but the inhumanly beautiful face beneath the dirt._

_He ignored all the glances, all the looks and whispers, all the attention. Instead, he stared at his feet while he walked down the sidewalk, calmly breathing in and out through his nose, building up his resolve and control. The burn was painful, but not blindingly so anymore. It helped that he had just hunted moments prior to stepping into the city limits._

_"Excuse me," A soft, warm voice murmured._

_Carlisle angled away from them, not bothering to look up from his feet as he stepped around them and carried on down the sidewalk while they carried on their own way. He barely made it seven steps before it hit him, like a slap in the face. It was so powerful that he jerked to a stop, as if walking into an invisible wall._

_Ink black pools began to spill into his golden irises until they filled them up completely and onyx eyes stared ahead. His nostrils flared as he took in another deep breath, letting the strawberry/freesia scent fill his lungs. Venom pooled in his mouth and he felt his fangs drop, the burn in the back of his throat turning into a flame. A flame that was spreading, growing, filling his entire body, consuming all his thoughts. He was only left with instincts, instincts screaming at him to hunt, to drink, to kill the owner of this seductively sweet, delicious smelling blood._

_The thought shook him to the core. Blood. Human blood. He would have it, taste it._

Finally,_ his inner beast crowed with delight. _

_She couldn't even see him. Possibly the only human in the entire city who hadn't noticed him, who hadn't stopped to gawk._

_No, instead this young girl had her nose buried in a book. A book of all things! He had never met a girl that interested in reading. This girl was definitely peculiar, something about her. She was… different. Like him, but not. Different in her own way, not in a mythical way like him and the other vampires. Standing there, in the shadows beneath a burnt out lantern, staring at the brunette sitting on the ledge of the fountain, he could see she didn't belong with the other humans. She didn't fit in their world; she shied away from them, and them from her. _

_Bella felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, felt a pair of eyes burning into her. She lowered her book and let out a yelp, jumping slightly. "Oh, you startled me!" She breathed, chuckling at the pale stranger. The smile slowly slid off her face after a moment of silence and her brown eyes took in this stranger with caution and growing suspicion. He stood still, unnaturally so, like a rigid statue. His nostrils were flared and he was breathing deeply, too deeply, as if savouring a smell. She gasped, looking up into the darkest, most dangerous eyes she had ever seen. Nothing but hunger in them. Hunger and sorrow and regret and guilt. So much guilt. But mostly hunger._

_"You're not human." She uttered, gingerly setting down her book beside her._

_Carlisle remained standing, unable to move even the smallest muscle._

_Her heart sped up slightly, perhaps in anticipation, for Carlisle could find no fear in her eyes. No terror. In fact, he found compassion. Understanding. It confused him._

_She took a slow breath and let it out, watching the statue man's nostrils flare again. "And you're going to kill me." She bit her lip, searching those eyes and the internal battle within them. "You don't have a choice, do you?"_

_Carlisle's resolve broke and he launched himself at her, tackling her into the fountain. She did not scream, did not struggle, not even when he sank his fangs into her neck. Greedily he drank, crouched over her body in the water, hearing and feeling her frantic heartbeat begin to slow. The thick warm blood laced his burning throat, soothed it, and calmed the frantic and jumbled thoughts in his head, clearing the fog and giving him clarity once more._

_"I forgive you." The girl breathed, her eyes fluttering shut._

_And maybe it wasn't a miracle. Maybe it was Carlisle finding strength in her compassion. Or maybe it was because he had fed and was sated before she was drained. Or his guilt overwhelmed his thirst. Whatever it was, it made Carlisle rip his face away from her neck. Made him stare down at the young girl who was nearly as pale as he, floating in the water, in his arms. Made him lean down and bite into her again, this time letting his venom flow into her veins. _

"She forgave you?" Edward asked. Carlisle looked up at his eldest son, raising an eyebrow. The bronze haired boy scoffed, shaking his head. "She forgave you… _while_ you were in the process of draining her. Killing her."

Carlisle nodded and shrugged. "Bella is nothing if not surprising. Unpredictable."

"What happened when she woke up?" Esme asked, eagerly waiting for the rest of the tale.

Flipping the page, Carlisle got back to his story. "She was… very disoriented at first. Threw me through a tree, if I remember correctly. Once I got her to calm down, things went a little more smoothly. She was very accepting of what happened to her, didn't seem very upset about it. Though, as I know it, she didn't have the best human life to begin with. Abuse from a stepfather, and was betrothed to a man she loathed. She was actually very thankful that I took her from that life, and I couldn't bring myself to regret Changing her. She was friendly, smart, and funny, and we got along great. She had even taken to calling me 'big brother' and I called her 'little sister'. We were close."

_London, 1655._

_"I swear, I'll never understand how you drink that swill, little sister." Carlisle murmured, staring across the table at Bella with a disgusted face. He smoothed down imaginary wrinkles in his silk black vest, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He hated coming to these kinds of places; sweaty men gathered around tables, packed in every nook and cranny, gambling and drinking, and burping, and just… smelling in general. And not in a good way; the air was so thick with smoke, alcohol, and god knows whatever else, that Carlisle could _barely_ smell blood at all. But Bella, the loon, was quite the fan and they had just spent the entire day at the new museum that just opened up, so it was her turn to pick something to do._

_Glancing around the table at the drunk men with cigars sticking out of their mouths and cards in their hands as they tossed in more chips, Bella smirked. "It's an acquired taste, brother." Her english accent was thicker than Carlisle's, thicker than most Brits really, and seemed to draw the humans in even more than her appearance. Though her appearance did go a long way; dark hair that was many different shades of brown; mahogany, chestnut, dark brown, shades of red even, all reaching down to her lower back. Her skin creamy pale and flawless, a captivating contrast. Her lips, though uneven, perhaps her only flaw, were stained blood red, matching her crimson eyes. "Now are you in or not?" She asked, taking another swig from her mug._

_With a resigned sigh, Carlisle tossed in a few more chips. He glanced at his pocket watch before tucking it into the pocket on his vest and took out a handkerchief, wiping off the table in front of him. Why did everything have to be dirty in these places all the time? He grumbled, scowling at Bella who winked at him. _She_ didn't have to worry about getting her clothes dirty; she was perfectly __content to go around in a pair of black slacks, a white cotton button up, a pair of suspenders and a black newsboy hat. _

_One of the men snarled, an action that was _much_ more frightening when coming from Bella or Carlisle, and threw his cards down. "Bloody hell…" He cursed, glaring at everyone around the table while he gathered his things and stormed off._

_"Poor sod," Bella murmured, though continued to smirk. She never really felt bad for taking people's money; she rather enjoyed it. It was fair. Honest. If they couldn't beat her at cards, then they shouldn't challenge her. Or accept her challenges. "Always underestimating women. We're the smarter breed, gents."_

_Another man scoffed, though he was smiling a little and looked slightly amused. "I'll say," He chuckled. "I'm out."_

_And so, one by one, each one of the humans that were left, slowly but surely backed out. Most of them were poor sports, but none tried anything. Not with Carlisle sitting right there, though if he weren't, there was something in them. An instinct, perhaps, that told them it wouldn't be a very good idea to mess with _either_ of the two. Soon it was down to just the two vampires, both playing for the pile of chips and cash in the middle of the table. Though Bella was good at cards, some might even say the best, Carlisle usually managed to beat her. She would have called him on cheating had she not been watching him like a hawk the entire time._

Renesmee cleared her throat, looking up at Carlisle with furrowed brows. "You said she had red eyes." Carlisle nodded. "Does that mean she fed on humans?"

He nodded again, pursing his lips. "Yes, she did. Though, like Edward, she hunted murderers, rapists, bad people in general. In fact, _she_ was never the hunter, or at least she'd have you believe, but the prey. Walking dark, deserted streets in the bad areas of the city. She would innocently bat her eyelashes and coincidently wander down an alley. Whoever came to take advantage would…" Bree cleared her throat, lifting an eyebrow and Carlisle smiled sheepishly. "Would soon come to regret it."

"You didn't force her to switch to animals?" Edward asked curiously.

Carlisle almost looked offended. "I have never forced a single one of you. But if you're insinuating that I somehow pressured you to, consciously or not, then I apologize."

Edward shook his head, his golden eyes wide. "That's not quite what I meant. It came out wrong. I was just wondering why she chose to feed on humans; had she never tried animals? Was it preference or could she not take to the diet and succumbed?"

"Oh," Carlisle replied. His face scrunched up again, thinking back to the early years after Changing her. "No, Bella always had superior control over her thirst. Never, in the entire time I knew her, had I seen it overtake her. Right from the beginning, too. It was odd."

"Then why?" Jasper asked, looking slightly frustrated. Jealous, even. "Why wouldn't she chose our diet, if it was so easy for her? Why continue taking human lives?"

_The outskirts of London, 1645._

_Wiping the blood from his chin, Carlisle sat back on his feet and looked up at the sky. The rain poured down heavily, rinsing the crimson from his clothes, plastering his hair to his face. The deer lay limp before him, its neck broken, while he debated what to do with it. _Wolves_, he thought. They'd thank him for a free, easy, meal._

_"Bella?" He called out quietly, in case she was still hunting. It was their first hunting trip together; Bella finally agreed to try his diet. _

_But maybe she was having more difficulty; after all, she was used to her prey walking straight up to her. _Like lamb, dancing onto the lions silver platter,_ he chuckled at the image. Dancing lamb._

_Carlisle blurred off through the trees, taking care not to step on any twigs or loose ground, not to make any loud noises. He crept further and further into the forest, following Bella's freesia/strawberry scent until he came upon a small cave. If you could call it that; the large grizzly could hardly fit in it, its shoulders and head sticking out._

_Becoming even more silent, Carlisle slowly made his way around to the front of the cave. He was rather surprised Bella decided to take on a bear her first time._

_He was even more surprised at what he saw inside the cave._

_There, cooing and humming quiet tunes, sat Bella. Her dark hair spilling over her shoulder in waves, dry from the cover of the cave, her eyes black as can be. Not a spec of gold, not even a lick of amber. In her arms and on her lap she held three baby cubs, singing softly to them while the momma grizzly laid there next to her, watching with guarded eyes. _

_Bella's dark eyes rose up and met Carlisle's, her smile turning into a grin as she held up the cubs in her arms, looking very much like a small child holding a teddy bear. "They're so cute!" She chimed._

"Awwwww!" Alice, Esme, Bree, and Renesmee all cooed.

Emmett scoffed, shaking his head. "Something was definitely wrong with that girl. A grizzly. She passed up a grizzly!"

"Who did?"

Kate Denali strolled into the room, her eyes a vibrant, glowing gold. She had just returned from hunting with her sisters, who had decided to head out to Seattle for the rest of the night. She walked over to the couch and Alice sat up straight, giving her room to sit next to Jasper and cuddle with her mate. The pixie felt her spirits droop, glancing around the room at all the couples sitting together. She brought her feet up onto the couch in front of her, wrapping her arms around her knees and rested her chin on them. "Bella," She replied. "You're in time to hear more of Carlisle's story."

"Bella!" Kate gasped, beaming. "Why? Is she coming back here to help like the rest of us? Oh, Tanya will be so excited; it's been much too long since we've seen her!" She gushed.

"Wait a minute," Rosalie said with a confused frown. "You guys knew about Bella? You've met her?"

Kate nodded, looking around the room and then to the blonde doctor. "Back when they stayed with the Volturi for a little while and managed to sway Eleazar to Carlisle's diet. We met her shortly after that."

"So the Denalis know about her, but you didn't feel the need to tell your immediate family about her?" Rosalie asked, her eyes hardening a little as she looked at Carlisle.

Kate cleared her throat, coming to the doctor's defence. "Well, it's not something Carlisle likes talking about. I mean, we haven't spoken about her in nearly a century."

"Why not?" Bree asked.

"Because of the falling out. How they separated. Why she isn't here a part of the family right now." She replied.

Esme looked over to her husband, concerned. "What happened?"

He sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. Jasper, sensing the sorrow creeping up on his father, sent out a wave of tranquility, directly at him. "You've gone and skipped ahead in the story, Kate." He chuckled humourlessly.

"Sorry, cousin." She smiled sheepishly, burrowing further into Jasper.

He shrugged. "No matter," He said, flipping through the pages in the journal. "Let's see, so Bella and I had just left the Volturi and then Denalis, and headed for Canada next before moving on to America. It was Bella's turn to chose our new home, and she picked British Columbia because she was feeling homesick and missed Mother England. She actually rather liked Canada, and I'd have to agree with her. Anyways, that was about the time that I noticed a change in Bella. She wasn't… as happy, as usual. Wasn't smiling as often, and began watching people more. She was lonely, I could tell. I didn't take offence to, since I was as well, but I had my work to bury myself in. Bella didn't. She needed a friend, someone other than me. By the time we moved to… to Biloxi," He glanced up at Alice whose eyes widened. "She was getting worse. She didn't leave the house anymore, and would lock herself up in her room, just staring out the window."

"Why didn't she just go make friends if she wanted one?" Renesmee asked.

Carlisle smiled sadly. "She was afraid. You see, she was a very shy girl, who liked to wear many different masks so she could hide, but she knew that you can't wear masks around friends." He grinned at the confused face she gave him. "It didn't help that I all but forbid her to have any, pushing the fear of hurting a human friend onto her. I'll never forgive myself for that. But one day she met the pregnant Miss Grace, and something changed. She was so tired of being lonely while I was off at work, that she just wasn't afraid anymore, I suppse. She insisted that she couldn't hurt Grace, even if she wanted to."

"Was it her mate?" Emmett asked curiously.

He shook his head. "No, she had flings now and then along the years, but never found her mate, and Grace was just her best friend."

_Biloxi, Mississippi. 1900._

_"You should tell her; she wouldn't find it strange coming from a doctor." Bella said, pacing her brother's office. Her English accent, unlike Carlisle's, had never faded over the years, though as he understood it; she made a conscious effort to keep it. She got down on her knees on the other side of his desk, resting her elbows on it as she clasped her hands and gave him her best puppy dog eyes. "Please? Pleeeeaaaaaase, big brother?" _ _Carlisle sighed, straightening the stack of papers he was going through and writing on. He looked out the window over his shoulder, at Grace's house next door. If he concentrated, he could hear her scuffling about, cleaning. "She should know she's pregnant; what if she goes out and has a drink? Or breathes in John's cigarette smoke. Sodding jerk smokes like a chimney."_

_She was right; Grace really should know she's pregnant. _All the work she does won't be good for the baby,_ he thought. "She's not even showing yet; how will I explain how I know?"_

_Bella bit her lip, her brows furrowing. "I don't know, just say a doctor can tell these kinds of things or something."_

_"Fine," He groaned, rolling his eyes as she blurred around the desk to hug him. "You owe me, though."_

_"Thank you!" She chimed. "I'm going to go invite her over before the arse gets home." _

_Carlisle chuckled, going back to his work and filling out the forms that the hospital needed by that evening. "He's your best friend's husband," He commented, knowing Bella would hear as she dashed down the stairs to the front door to get ready. "You should be nicer to him."_

_"Not bloody likely." Bella growled, pulling on her coat and newsboy hat. _

_She skipped out the front door and across the lawn, looking up at the grey sky as she hoisted herself over the fence with ease and inhuman grace. There she crept up to the side of the house, closing her eyes and hearing Grace's heartbeat in the kitchen. She grinned and ducked down, blurring over to the window, and waiting for her friend to get closer. With the smallest giggle, she sprang up and knocked on the window, waving her arms around like mad._

_Grace screamed and jumped back, her hand flying up to her heart and a grin stretching across her face when she realized it was Bella. "My god, you scared me!" She gasped, watching the pale girl enter the back patio door. "You could've given me a heart attack!" She said, swatting at her shoulder. _

_"Rubbish," Bella waved it off, heading for the kitchen to look out the side window and grinned. "You're too young for a heart attack."_

_"Still," Grace mumbled, going back to her dishes. "John will be home soon, and I don't want you two fighting again."_

_Bella grimaced, swallowing the growl in her throat. "The prat…"_

_"I beg your pardon?" Grace asked, jutting out her hip and raising an eyebrow at the taller girl._

_The vampire raised her own eyebrows, putting on an innocent facade. "I didn't say anything at all, Gracie. Perhaps you should get Carlisle to check your ears?" Grace rolled her eyes. "In fact, we should head over there right now. Smashing idea, don't you think? Of course you do; let's go!" She said, headed for the front door again._

_"Bella…" Grace huffed. "John will be home soon and I have to finish cleaning."_

_"Bullocks, this place is clean." She insisted. "You can't get any cleaner than this."_

_Grace shook her head, rinsing another place. "If you think this is clean, then I'd hate to see what England considers dirty."_

_"Hey, watch yourself." Bella threatened playfully. "You don't see me picking on old America, do you?"_

_The front door swung open silently and John kicked off his boots. Bella tensed, glaring towards the front of the house, and that was what alerted Grace to the fact that her husband was home. She never could figure out how Bella always knew those kinds of things; the girl could see or hear people and things before she could. John slid out of his coat and draped it on the back of one of the chairs in the kitchen. He was a shorter man, like grace, though his hair was a mousy brown unlike her ink black, his eyes a dark brown that looked murky, her own a clear, light blue. "Oh, the _Cullen_ is here. You know, I look forward to the day that I come home and _don't_ find you lurking around here." He spat, walking over to Grace to kiss her cheek._

_"Hello to you, too, you old git. How was preaching today?" Bella forced out. Grace pleaded with her eyes, begging Bella to be nice. The vampire just growled to herself, slinking over to the corner of the room away from him._

_John puffed up his chest. "That's Reverend John to you, Cullen."_

_"You're off your trolley if you think I'm going to call you that every time I speak to you, Johnny." She laughed, shaking her head. "Besides, I don't hear you calling Carlisle, Doctor Cullen do I?"_

_"So did you have a good day, sweetie?" Grace asked, interrupting them before it got worse. _

_John glared at Bella. "I did, until I got home. Why do you have to spend time with her? Can't you find any other friends?"_

_"John, you know I like Bella. And that was very rude of you, now be nice and apologize." Grace said. She gave him a look when he didn't move or even blink._

_Clenching his jaw, he turned to look at the pale girl across the room. His blood boiled when he saw that stupid smirk on her face. "I'm sorry my wife can't find anyone better than you to be friends with."_

_"And _I'm_ sorry she couldn't find anyone better to marry." Bella replied, nodding and looking too sympathetic. _

_John's face turned red as he stomped out of the room. "Get started on my dinner; I'm going to read my paper."_

_Bella saluted his back with a straight face, watching as the red slowly turned purple before he left. "He really doesn't fancy me, does he?"_

_Grace sighed, resting her head on her friend's shoulder. "No, not even a little." She said, resigned._

…

_Grace stared up at the sunny sky, bathing in the rare light. She glanced over to Bella who was sitting up on her porch in the dark shade, smiling at her. It was as if the girl was allergic to sunlight, refusing to step foot in it or go out on sunny days. "Why doesn't Carlisle have an accent like you?" She asked, one of the many questions she had about the mysterious Cullens. She didn't ask very often, because it would usually cause Bella to clam up and shut down._

_Said girl shrugged her shoulders, swinging on the porch swing. "It's been quite some time since we've been in England and Carlisle was never inclined to make the effort to keep his. After a while, it just started to fade. Now he has that American accent." She scrunched up her face._

_"You don't like American accents?" Grace asked, feeling slightly hurt._

_"I do," Bella replied. "It's just weird hearing one on him." Her ruby red eyes crinkled as she giggled. That was always something Grace wanted to ask about as well; Bella had red eyes, impossible, and Carlisle had golden ones, even more impossible. The Cullens were just so different, it was mind boggling. "So how does the baby like the sun?"_

_Grace smiled warmly, rubbing the small bump of her belly lovingly. "She likes it."_

_"How do you know it's a she?" Bella asked, raising an eyebrow. _

_She shrugged, still smiling softly. "A doctor can tell those things, and a mother can tell these things."_

_"I would have to agree; if it were a boy, she would be bigger now." Carlisle said, walking out of the back door to stand on the porch next to Bella. "Hello, Grace."_

_"How are you today, Carlisle?" Grace asked excitedly. That was another reason why John didn't like the Cullens, he knew the effect Carlisle had on the women around town, and didn't like how much the two saw each other because of Bella._

_Carlisle chuckled, sitting down on a wooden chair with his note book. "I'm quite well, thank you. Yourself?"_

_"Smashing." Grace replied, trying her best English accent._

_Bella threw her head back and laughed. "You cheeky monkey!" _

…

_Carlisle sighed, closing his eyes to rub his forehead. He could hear Bella padding back and forth, pacing the entire ground floor. She really hated being cooped up in the house all day while the sun was out. Especially lately, seeing as it had been bright, shiny days for the past week. He, himself, was actually starting to feel a little… caged. Although, he blamed it all on their thirst, and decided that they'd have to hunt that night. Carlisle tried putting it off as much as he could, though he'd never let it get to the point where he was a danger to humans around him. But he didn't like hunting and feeding any time he pleased, because he felt like it would be rubbing it in Bella's face. Who he convinced to hunt as little as possible, seeing as she still refused to drink from animals._

_There was a crash and then silence. He furrowed his brows, trying to figure out what was off, and noticed the absence of ticking from the grandfather clock in the living room. He groaned and waited but a moment before Bella's voice filled the silent house. "Sorry." _

_"Blast it," He murmured, getting up from his desk and blurred out of the study. He was standing downstairs next to Bella and in front of the smashed grandfather clock, in seconds, frowning deeply. "What happened?"_

_Sheepishly smiling, Bella traced invisible figure eights on the hardwood floor with her foot, avoiding eye contact. "I just wanted to make sure it was still working. It seemed to be going slower than usual." _

_"It was working just fine, you impatient twit." Carlisle laughed, picking it up and leaning it back against the wall. "Go get the broom and sweep this up."_

_"Right," Bella nodded, blurring off out of the room._

_Sliding his hands into his pockets, Carlisle walked to the back glass door and out onto the patio, engulfed in the shade. He took a deep breath, the scent of deer not too far off in the woods behind the house. The itch in the back of his throat slowly started turning into a burn and he grimaced. Before he could dwell on it too much, movement caught his eye in the back of the Brandons' house. A man, dressed in dark clothes and wearing a hat that blocked most of his face, entered the house through the back. Carlisle followed through their own house, looking out what windows he could. His senses went into high alert when he heard something smash, and blurred off to the kitchen that faced Grace's. "Bella," He could feel her presence behind him, curiously peering out the window. "There is a dodgy looking man in her house and I heard-"_

_Both Carlisle and Bella reeled back like they were slapped in the face when they heard the scream. _

_"Bella - the sun!" Carlisle reached for the brunette but she was already gone._

_She launched herself over the fence in one, smooth motion, and smashed through the kitchen window in another. Her nostrils flared as she took in the sweet, alluring scent of blood. Especially intoxicating. Laced with fear._

_She shook the thoughts from her head, feeling her eyes darken and her throat burst into flame. Bella blurred through the house and up the stairs, coming to Grace's bedroom door. It flew off its hinges and across the room, shattering against the wall with her force. Both Grace and the man looked up with wide eyes. Bella's narrowed as she took in the scene; Grace cowered in the corner of the room, her forehead bleeding, while the man was ripping drawers from her dresser and vanity, a pillow case full of her jewellery. Grace stared, shocked to her core and feeling numb, into Bella's endless black eyes that were ablaze with fury, watching the crimson steadily leaking down her face._

_The man moved for the window and Grace gasped. One second Bella was there, staring at her so intensely that she felt she was paralyzed, and the next she was across the room, holding the man up off the floor and against the wall. She covered her ears as the feral snarl that tore from Bella's chest shook her to her bones, and she was certain she'd never hear anything as terrifying ever again._

_Carlisle was there moments later, careful to avoid the sunlight spilling into the room by the window Bella had the man pinned next to. He preyed that she hadn't already stepped in it in front of Grace, although he knew they were already exposed from what Bella had just done. He knelt next to Grace, examining her injuries. _

_Bella's head whipped around when Grace whimpered as Carlisle dabbed at the wound on her forehead. The vampire let out a hiss, hurling the man through the window and blurred over to Carlisle, shoving him off into the wall away from Grace. Carlisle pulled himself from the wall, shaking the debris from his hair, and raised his hands. "Easy, Bella," He soothed, slowly approaching again. He took in the protective stance she was in, crouching over Grace. "I'm not going to hurt her. I'm going to help her. I need to get close and touch her to do so, you know that. Let me by, please." He insisted. She didn't blink. "Bella, Grace is hurt," He tried more sternly. "I need to help her and you need to leave before you hurt her."_

_Bella snarled at him. Impossible. She would never._

_"You haven't fed and she's bleeding, Bella. Leave now." He commanded._

_Looking down at the trembling human in her arms, Bella felt her beast settle. Concern and worry engulfed her, no longer fury and rage. She looked back up to Carlisle, and then the damage to the wall, her shoulders drooping. "I'm sorry," She whispered quietly, blurring out the window. She stopped only long enough to sneer down at the man who was unconscious on the ground, hauling him over her shoulder as she raced into the woods where no one could catch her feeding. _

…

_Snow flakes clung and stuck to the window, piling up over time and the days until it was nearly impossible to see out of. And yet, she never moved from her chair that was pulled up in front of it, never took her eyes off of it, just staring. Unseeing. Perhaps that was the point. Perhaps she was not trying to see at all, just feel. Feel time, not in the way she used to while she was human. Not in the way that her neighbours were currently feeling it. Taking its toll on their bodies._

_Time scared her, quite frankly._

_It was a monster that fed on their mortality. That once fed on her. Slowly eating away at them, killing them at such a pace that they never really notice. Robbing them of life._

_Not for her. Not anymore; now all she could feel was time pass her by. She was hidden from it. It ignored her. Could no longer sense her mortality, only its own immortality in her. _

_She was a beast very akin to it, joined in their common hunger for mortality. _

_This was the first time Bella ever robbed someone of their life without so much as laying a finger on them. Inadvertently. Accidentally. But irrevocably._

_She had gone and shortened Grace's life in the span of mere moments. From the second she entered that bedroom, to the very instant she left it. _

_Such stress and fright was not good for the pregnancy, and now her dearest friend in the world was in the hospital, with no luck of getting out any time soon._

_Who would have thought that in saving Grace from that man, she was dooming her as well? But there was no other choice; he was going to kill her. Hurt her at the very least._

_What lies her mind created to try and ease her guilt!_

_There's always another choice. Had she just kept control and gone in there calm, things could have been different. Would have been different. No snarling, roaring, window smashing, fearsome scowls. But angered, powerful words that he would have listened to. And if not, Carlisle could have gotten her out of the room before Bella dealt with the man. Grace wouldn't have had to see the monster that hid under Bella's pale surface._

_What a foolish, rash girl she was. And now Grace would have to pay they consequences._

…

_"It's not your fault, Bella." _

_Carlisle leaned against the door frame, his hands in his pockets as he watched his sister. It had been a week and a half since the incident, and not once had she moved from that chair. Bella used to describe him as a statue man, said that was her first impression when he Changed her that fateful night. He could see that now, if this was how he looked then. A statue, never moving, forever staring and watching life go on without it._

_He sighed and walked into the room, over to the window that even he couldn't see out of anymore. It was a harsh winter, that year. He glanced back down at the younger girl, crouching down to look up into her face with a pleading expression. "Say something, little sister. Please; for me." He sighed deeply again, his shoulders drooping while he rested his forehead on her knee. "It's not your fault, I promise no one thinks so, so you shouldn't either. Please come with me to the hospital and let Grace tell you herself. She's been asking for you."_

_The silence was deafening and for the first time in nearly two hundred years, Carlisle felt cold._

…

_She listened to her brother frantically gathering his things in the room below hers. Papers and forms, certificates of birth and baby gifts, all put into his bag. He was, quite possibly, more excited about this baby than Grace or John. Perhaps because it was the first baby he would ever help deliver? Or maybe it was just him trying to distract himself from the fact that Grace wasn't expected to live through the birthing. _

_Bella felt her chest tighten and grimaced, her ebony eyes filling with tears she would never be able to shed for her friend. _

_"I'm heading out," Carlisle called up the stairs, standing at the front door. He wound the wool scarf around his neck, more for appearances than anything else. It was a blizzard out there. "Are you quite certain that you don't want to come? Bella… this may be her last night… You should be there. For her." He added, waiting two absent heartbeats before heading out the door._

_The brunette blinked, staring down at her lap. Slowly, she rose from the chair, the dust that had gathered wafting into the air. She walked over to her dresser, her eyes taking in every detail of the room she would never see again. Opening the top drawer, she gingerly took out the crisp white piece of paper and grabbed the pencil next to her jewellery box, and began her note. When that was done, she blurred over to her wardrobe, her eyes skimming over her clothing as she reached in and grabbed some clothes. Black slacks, a black button up, rolling the sleeves to her elbows, with a blood red tie and vest over top. She breezed back over to the dresser, looking into the mirror at her dark eyes, and then down to the black newsboy hat, pulling it on. She hesitated, lifting the lid of her jewellery box and searched through it for the ring she knew Grace really liked. She pocketed it, along with a thin silver chain, in her vest and blurred down the stairs._

_It was, indeed, quite cold that day. Windy too, blowing snow around. Bella didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to herself, and pulled on her black wool coat, and fingerless black gloves, heading down the street for the hospital._

_Carlisle gave her an odd look when she entered the large building, and she looked away, as if by just looking into her eyes, he would read her thoughts and know of her plan. She knew he could already tell something was off, could feel it. She never was good at hiding things from him; he was too observant. Something she used to admire, but now wished against. _

_"Bella!" Grace's voice was rough and cracked halfway through her name. Her light blue eyes bloodshot, red and puffy with tears in their corners, with dark bags underneath. Her face was red and sweaty, her dark hair clinging to her skin, her hands trembling. She looked so tired. So tired and sick and Bella raced over to her side, taking her hand. The young human smiled weakly. "For once, I'm glad you have such cold skin. It's so incredibly hot in here, but the doctors won't open my windows. Not even Carlisle." She pouted._

_Bella could feel her lips tremble as she smiled, trying to block out the slow, uneven, faint beating of her friend's heart. It wasn't doing too well. "That's because there's a blizzard outside, love."_

_"Is there?" Grace asked, her eyes full of wonder. "My baby will be born during a blizzard. Do you think she'll like the snow?"_

_The vampire nodded, glancing out the window. "Most definitely; who doesn't fancy snow?"_

_"You're going to have to teach her your haughty taughty English ways."_

_"You'll teach them to her; you're practically half British now." Bella grinned._

_Grace sighed deeply, blinking sleepily. "Let's not kid ourselves, Bella. We both know I won't be able to."_

_"Don't say those kinds of things, Gracie." The vampire hissed lowly. "You'll be fine." The two stared at each other for a long time, both unwavering in their stubborn ways. And then, like the flip of a switch, Bella was in the chair right next to the bed, laying her head in the human's lap, dry sobbing. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Grace. It's all my fault; I'm so sorry."_

_Grace stroked Bella's hair, patting her shoulder and soothed the girl until she calmed. When all was quiet again, she whispered into the silent room. Her voice too weak to gain volume. "You saved me that day, Bella. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise; that man was going to kill me. I knew it. He knew it. And you knew it." She paused, her brows furrowing in curiosity. "The only question I have is; what are you? Your speed, your strength…"_

_Bella looked up into her friend's face wearily. "Vampire." She murmured._

_Grace didn't seem all that surprised as she lost herself in thought. "How fascinating."_

_There was a knock in the hospital room door and Bella glowered, glaring at Carlisle as he entered the room. He guiltily met her glare, her voice regretful and full of sorrow. "I'm sorry," He said gently. "But we need to move you into the operating room; Doctor Timmons is ready for you."_

_"Can I-" Bella began but Carlisle cut her off, shaking his head._

_"No, I'm sorry. John isn't even allowed in the room. You'll have to wait with him in the waiting room." He replied, smiling down at Grace as he began wheeling her bed out of the room and into the hall._

_"Wait - no - just a little longer!" Bella begged, following them desperately down the hall. She grabbed onto Grace's hand who was smiling softly at her. "Please, Carlisle, a little longer. Please."_

_"I can't, Bella." He said, picking up his pace as they heard Grace's heart descend into an even slower tempo. "We've got to work now." _

_She shook her head fiercely, looking back down into the human's face. "Grace, I'm so sorry."_

_"You're my best friend, Bella." Grace uttered, looking back at the torn vampire standing outside the operating room's doors that were slowly shutting. "I'll miss you the most." _

…

_"This is __**your**__ fault, Cullen."_

_Bella's dark eyes met John's, no longer holding that challenging twinkle she got whenever he was around. Grace wasn't there to challenge him for anymore. Instead they were alone, sitting in the quiet waiting room, waiting for news they both dreaded and hoped beyond hope would never come. She looked back down to the floor, staring at her shoes and counting his heart beats._

_"I don't know what you did, but you made her sick. She was fine until you came around. You've __**poisoned**__ her with your presence."_

_Each comment was a blow to her emotions, striking her conscience, and electrocuting her guilt. _

_"If she dies, it will be on __**you**__."_

_She killed her best friend._

_"You're a __**monster**__. You don't belong around us. Around people."_

_A vicious beast. Time's right hand man. _

_"You've __**killed**__ my Grace."_

_She had never considered herself a killer before. Yes, she had killed many people. Many, many people over the years as a vampire. To drink. To survive. To live. As they do to animals. She couldn't see the problem with that; humans were predators who killed their prey, and she was a predator who killed humans, who were her prey. But it was the circle of life. She wasn't just mindlessly killing people for the hell of it. It was part of the food chain._

_But now, she killed Grace. Not prey. Not for survival. Not the circle of life._

_Just killed her._

_"I'm sorry, John." She whispered, turning her agony filled eyes to the short man._

_He glared at her, fury all over his heartbroken face. "Your sorries aren't going to save her, now are they?" He yelled._

_Bella shook her head. "No, they won't."_

_"Then what good are they to me!" _

_She sighed, slowly standing and getting to her feet. She opened her coat and reached into the red vest, holding out the ring on the chain. Her eyes beseeched John's. "Give this to the baby." John made a face, but she held up her hand. "Please, John. Grace wanted the ring, it was her favourite, please give it to her daughter. Make sure she gets it."_

_John hesitated before nodding, taking the chain and ring and put it into his shirt pocket. "She will." Bella nodded, taking one last look around the room, and turned to leave. She had just stepped outside into the blizzard, hugging her coat closer to her out of habit, when she heard the hospital doors open again. "Cullen, wait." John called over the roaring wind. Bella turned back to look at him, seeing him standing in the door. "Her name is Mary Alice. Grace wanted to tell you that."_

_"Mary Alice Brandon." Bella murmured, turning and walking into the blizzard._

"Stop," Alice choked out.

Everyone in the room turned to her as she launched off the couch, pacing behind it. They looked between her and Carlisle, everyone having pieced together what she had. "Let me get this straight;" She said, looking up to Carlisle. "You… you knew my mother. My father. You helped deliver _me_ even. You knew me. And Bella killed my mom."

"She did no such thing." Carlisle growled fiercely. Esme's eyebrows rose at the tone, one she rarely ever heard, and never on the family. "Bella didn't kill your mother; it was an unhealthy pregnancy from the beginning. She most likely wouldn't have made it to begin with, or wouldn't have lived more than a few years afterwards. The accident just… pushed her a little too much."

Alice nodded, looking down at her feet. "I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to figure everything out. I mean, you knew me when I was human! And you never told me; all these years, you never told me. How could you not, Carlisle?" Alice had never felt so hurt and betrayed in her life, and it showed as her eyes faded to a darker colour.

Carlisle sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Because this situation is very… complicated. When I got home later that night, I found Bella's note. They way she worded it; I wasn't sure if she had just ran away or if she killed herself. I spent many years looking for her, and then when you joined the family, I sent out word to everyone I know, searching again. No one's seen her; her gift makes it extremely easy to hide from the world. And that's if she's alive at all."

"You still could have told me you knew me!" She groaned, tugging on her hair.

"I couldn't have told you just parts and left out others. It wouldn't have made sense, and you would have needed to know the rest." He replied calmly. Jasper grabbed Alice's hand as she paced in front of them again, pulling her down between him and Kate, sending out waves of calm, strong enough to nearly knock Renesmee out. "Then you would have pieced everything together, especially with your necklace, and I didn't want to get your hopes up if it turned out that Bella really was gone."

"What are you talking about? I'm confused again." Emmett said, staring hard at the thin silver chain around Alice's neck and the silver ring on it with the ruby rose on top.

Bree nodded, looking up to Edward with a confused frown. "That makes two of us. What would get her hopes up?"

Rosalie looked to Carlisle and then to Bree. "Well, obviously Alice is Bella's mate."

That got the group moving, all talking over one another until no one could make out any words. Edward cleared his throat. When that didn't work, he cleared it louder. "Hey!" He shouted, finally gaining everyone's attention. "Rosalie's right; it would explain why Bella was so drawn to Grace in the first place. If she didn't have any romantic feelings for her, but couldn't pull herself away and acted like she did during the robbery, it was because the baby Grace was pregnant with was her mate. Which is Alice."

He looked over to Carlisle who nodded. "Yes, those were my thoughts. I knew it wasn't Grace, but Bella's actions and feelings, and everything said it was. Then I thought about the baby, and it made sense." He said. "And that's why I didn't want you to know until I could find out what happened to her, Alice."

"Well fancy that; you're Grace's daughter."

Carlisle, along with everyone else in the room, froze at the thick English accent.

He whipped around, staring wide eyed at the pale stranger standing at the entrance of the living room, leaning against the wall. She looked just the same as she did a century ago; her hair falling in dark waves around her shoulders to her lower back; chestnut brown, mahogany, some pieces looking black, with natural streaks of red. Her skin a stark contrast, pale as the moon and flawless. Her eyes, big and crimson red, surrounded by thick black lashes. Wearing black slacks and a black button up, with red suspenders and a black newsboy hat. She smirked, the corner of her mouth curving up to reveal fangs. "Hello, big brother."

"You're… you're here." He said. "How? Why?"

Bella's brows furrowed as she shoved her hands into her pockets, shrugging her shoulders. "You _did_ send out a mass invitation, asking for everyone's help. Seems you've gotten yourself into a bit of trouble with the Volturi. The Amazons told me when I ran into them on their way here." She cocked her head to the side, looking slightly hurt. "Did you really think I wouldn't come to help? You're off your trolley, mate."

"I-I thought you were dead." He responded.

She waved off the comment, chuckling to herself. "Don't be daft."

"Well you always were on the melodramatic side, little sister." He said, blurring over to engulf her in a hug.

She grinned, hugging him back. "I prefer the term eccentric."

"More like emotionally unstable." Kate chimed.

Bella pulled back from Carlisle, grinning over his shoulder at the blonde. "Don't think I didn't see you over there, you cheeky monkey." She blurred around as Kate jumped up, catching her in a hug. "Feels like I haven't seen you in a life time."

"Probably because you haven't seen me in three." Kate replied, laughing. "Tanya will be so happy to see you."

"And what about Irina? Will she not be?"

Kate sighed, looking down to her feet. "I'm afraid there's some issues with Irina right now. She's the reason we're all gathered here in the first place."

The brunette raised an eyebrow, turning back to Carlisle. "Speaking of which; where's this immortal child I've heard about. Naughty, naughty; I would have thought you'd teach your children _all_ the rules, big brother."

"I'm not all vampire! I'm human too." Renesmee chirped from Esme's lap.

Bella looked over the small child; the curly bronze locks, chocolate brown eyes, blushing cheeks. She closed her eyes and listened to the fast paced heartbeat and smiled. "It appears that you are, love." She said, crouching down to eye level. "How old are you?"

She bit her lip, thinking it over. "Two months." (1)

Bree cleared her throat. "She ages very quickly."

The brunette took in the worried and slightly stressed looks on Edward and Bree's faces, and then back to Renesmee, smiling softly. "I wouldn't worry too much about it; she'll stop aging around sixteen, maybe seventeen. I've never seen one pass twenty years."

Edward sputtered, his eyes widening in shock. "Excuse me?" He gasped, frustrated that he had to ask and couldn't hear the thoughts she was thinking for an explanation.

"Vampire human hybrids; they don't usually continue to age passed twenty. Nahuel reached nineteen before he stopped. Little twit likes to take the title Eldest of the Hybrids. I know for a fact he isn't though; Rick reached twenty." She replied.

Rosalie interrupted her rambling before she could go on. "Wait; you're saying there are other hybrids. You've seen them? Know them?"

She nodded. "Yes, I met this bloke -what was his name?- Sean, I think it was, about forty years back. He was impregnating human women to create hybrid children. Unfortunately, I found him one night in the city I was staying in, with an unwilling participant. I had to… help her, and he didn't make it after the scuffle." She said, censoring her words as she glanced down at Renesmee.

"Well this changes… everything. I'm sorry, I have to go speak with Eleazar. We'll catch up later, little sister, and you can try to come up with a reasonable excuse as to why you've been scarce for the passed one hundred years when you knew I was looking for you." He growled at the end, glaring at her before leaving with room.

She chuckled, glancing around the room, her eyes landing on Esme. "Hm; you must be my dear brother's lovely wife." She said, holding out her hand to shake Esme's.

"Yes, I'm Esme. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." She said. "This is Renesmee,"

Bella crouched down again to smile and shake Renesmee's little hand. "Nice to officially meet. Would have hated to call you child all the time, my mother did it to me." She made a face.

"Edward," The bronze boy introduced himself, picking Renesmee up into his arms and smiled crookedly at Bella.

"And I'm Bree; I can't tell you how excited I am to meet you after the story we just heard." Bree said, hugging Bella.

Said girl half smiled, nodding. "Yes, well, Carlisle is quite the story teller."

"So you actually drink beer?" Emmett asked, shaking her hand enthusiastically.

Bella nodded. "Beer, wine, champagne." Emmett made a face and she laughed. "It's an acquired taste, my friend. But it's liquid, like blood, and our bodies can handle it unlike food. We just don't get that kick out of it like humans do, unfortunately."

"I don't see the point, then." Rosalie sighed, reluctantly holding out her hand. "I'm Rosalie, and that was Emmett."

"Charmed," Bella nodded.

"I'm still so excited you're back, cousin." Kate said, hugging Bella again. "We missed you."

Bella's eyes widened in surprise as she turned to Jasper who was struggling to place her own face, feeling its familiarity. "Major Whitlock, how pleasant to see you again." At his confused face, Bella smiled brightly. "You probably don't remember me; you were still a newborn then, I think maybe a week old. Maria introduced us when I passed through the South once."

"You know as many vampires as Carlisle, don't you?" Jasper laughed. This girl seemed to have a connection with just about everyone!

Bella chuckled. "Happens when you're as old as we are."

Liquid gold eyes met crimson ones and neither girl was really sure what to say. Bella took off her hat to run her hand through her hair, a nervous habit from her human life that had carried over. Her eyes took in every detail of Alice, memorizing her; she was just as tiny as Grace, her short hair spiked in chaos making her look pixie like, as dark as John's. Her smile more bright and beaming than Grace's, but not completely different. Her eyes widened, looking at the old ring on her chain around Alice's pale neck, her hand absently reaching out to touch it. It brought back so many memories, many painful ones, but many happy ones as well.

"Mary Alice Brandon, you and I have much to talk about." She smiled, looking up into the pixie's beaming face.

**XXxxXXxxXX**

**I've got to end this somewhere, and this seems like as good a place as any. I was starting to worry that this would be never-ending.**

**(1) I really have no idea how old she was at that point in time in the books. Too lazy to go and look, although I don't remember it being too long after her birth until the Volturi issue. **

**I'll be updating something or other soon; this was just to keep me from getting rusty. Plus, I couldn't get the idea out of my head and had to write it down.**

**Review please.**

**-Paige.**


End file.
